


A Recollection Reflects Reality

by Sola_Ircadia



Category: Tekken
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Jin stares at Hwoarang a lot because I live for that shit, M/M, Self-Indulgent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-31
Updated: 2018-08-31
Packaged: 2019-07-04 20:48:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15849081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sola_Ircadia/pseuds/Sola_Ircadia
Summary: He wants to live these moments as they are. He can remember, but this is where his life lies now.





	A Recollection Reflects Reality

**Author's Note:**

> Nothing like some hyper-indulgent and speedy fluff to flex the creative muscles, huh? Hope you enjoy!

He remembers how things used to be.

 

He remembers both the good and the bad, the things he wants to keep and the things that he would really rather just forget. He remembers his mother, and how much he misses her; he remembers his grandfather, and how he betrayed him. He can remember it all so easily, the painful things that he had to endure day after day, the rare moments of brighter instances that gave him the strength to be something more than a tool for his own vengeance.

 

He remembers all of that, but this right here is not a memory. This is what’s happening right now, and this is where he wants to be and what he wants to be thinking about.

 

This is a little kitchen, outdated and ill-suited to fit more than three people; this is a small apartment with sparse furniture, with a suspicious carpet and an air conditioner that doesn’t like to function properly most days. This is a table that squeaks if you lean on it with your full weight and a couch that’s covered in pillows. This is a good place. This is a safe place.

 

This is where Hwoarang is, and this is the most at home that Jin has felt in a very long time.

 

Jin sits at the table while Hwoarang works on dinner, and he can’t help but watch him as he moves around the small kitchen, every one of his motions confident and coordinated. He knows his way around this kind of space, something that Jin had been somewhat surprised to learn about despite the implied evidence to the contrary. One reasonably doesn’t get very far without knowing how to cook when they live on their own like Hwoarang does. Competence in this area is practically expected.

 

His rival had been rather miffed at Jin’s initial reaction, though, and it’s pretty hard to forget the way he’d been smacked upside the head for his assumptions. (Jin has gotten used to Hwoarang’s preferred method of distributing justice around here, although he’s still working on dodging it). Turns out Hwoarang is a much better cook than Jin is (which is not much of a feat in itself, all things considered) and, according to his personal report, he’s only caught the stove on fire _once_.

 

That, admittedly, had not been very reassuring.

 

Under normal circumstances, Jin makes a point of assisting whenever he can, but things are a little different tonight. Hwoarang had all but insisted that Jin refrain from helping this time, corralling him into one of the kitchen chairs and making (read: ordering) him stay there until he was done. He’d claimed that this was repayment for Jin’s considerate cleaning of the apartment earlier, which Jin could believe, but he knows Hwoarang well enough by now to figure that there might be something else at play, too.

 

Regardless, Jin doesn’t necessarily mind. It’s not a bad place to be. He likes having good opportunities to watch the other man in action, especially when he’s doing something so...mundane. Normal. Everyday and heartwarmingly domestic. It’s so different from everything before, so to see it like this now...well. It’s special.

 

Hwoarang is humming to himself, and Jin smiles. He really likes it when he does that. He never recognizes any of the songs, but it doesn’t matter. When Hwoarang sings to himself like that, it usually means that he’s in a good mood, and that sort of thing matters. Everything is brighter when Hwoarang is happy.

 

Jin had never known him to be like this before – stubborn and straightforward, maybe, someone you could count on – but not happy. Jin could only remember him smiling during fights before all of this, maybe some rare flashes during the third tournament, but nothing like this. Unfettered, free, and frequent, the flickers of contentment show themselves in Hwoarang’s demeanor in the form of bright grins and positively delightful laughter. A smile in the morning, accompanied by a light kiss. A grin during sparring, alive and infectious. A breathless hum of laughter against his lips when they kiss, Jin’s hands holding tight to his lover’s waist. It’s the song of their lives, and Jin revels in it, marveling in being part of its cause.

 

Hwoarang is just...really special. Important. Beautiful. He’s warm even from a distance, inviting and precious. Strong and self-assured. Loving and attentive. Red hair pulled back in some messy low ponytail. Sweatpants and one of Jin’s T-shirts. Flyaway bangs that won’t stay back no matter what he does to try and restrain them. Brown eyes, feathery eyelashes. Strong hands, soft touch. Quick motions, good for fighting and for cooking both. A kiss like electricity, sending sparks along Jin’s veins that exceed his understanding. A kiss that steals his breath and makes him come alive all the same. A kiss that floors him every time, from the first instant to the very last, lingering second. Looking at him now, he can see all of that, all of that and everything he knows is underneath. Jin cherishes these moments of indulgence just like all the others spent in Hwoarang’s company, knowing how lucky he is to experience this and not wanting to miss it for the world.

 

He wants to live these moments as they are. He can remember all that came before, but this is where his life lies now.

 

He’s been musing on these things for quite some time when he hears Hwoarang laugh quietly. Blinking, Jin meets his gaze and realizes (somewhat belatedly) that he’s been caught staring. _Oops_.

 

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer.” Hwoarang teases, not seeming to mind the attention. “It’ll save some of your dignity, too.”

 

“...did you really just say that to me?”

 

Hwoarang wanders over and leans down to kiss him, easygoing and unfazed, before slipping out of the kitchen. Jin watches him go, a little bewildered but no less content than before. It’s...strange to feel this safe, but then again, that’s just how things are when Hwoarang is around.

 

He remembers how things used to be, but that’s alright. Things are much better now.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Reflect (Developments) - Hands Like Houses


End file.
